What Shall This Man Do?

from January 2021

by GoodNews Rome

Wealth is What You Don’t See

Gò0dNews for Teens

What Shall This Man Do?

by Filip Brunner

The answer given to Peter by Jesus should not surprise us, but it does more than we would want to admit.

“Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:21-22). Jesus’ answer is echoed by the country music mantra: “Mind your own business; you sure won’t be minding mine” (Hank Williams).

This could end here, but NO. The main point of this discourse deals mainly with whether we have enough love for Jesus to minister to others in the way He wants us to. Verses 15-17 convey the three times Peter was asked, “Do you love me?” and told, “…feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” Verse 18 speaks to how Peter’s death will glorify God. The revelation of, “This is how you will die and glorify God by your death,” must have been a bit disturbing to Peter. “What shall this man do?” deflects the attention from Peter to someone else.

When we get uncomfortable, we want to gain egress from the uncomfortable situation. In the case of dangerous situations, this is a God-given defense mechanism we call fight or flight. But when it comes to future events, especially seeing as how we do not have the same glimpse into the future as Peter did, we become apprehensive. The reaction is a natural one. Where it gets into the realm of sin is when money comes into play. We see this in our society today in the attitudes of people who picture themselves as “poor” and spew hatred against people they see as “rich.” “What shall this man do?” gives us an insight into how Jesus sees this social enigma.

In a perfect world where everyone believed in Christ, we would submit to the calling on our lives. Being poor or being rich has no bearing on our eternal destination. When it speaks of our socioeconomic reality, the Bible makes it clear that the worker and the owner of the business and the destitute and the rich have certain obligations. The worker is to work as if he is working directly for the Lord.

The business owner is to treat his workers in the same way Christ would treat them. The poor and destitute need to “glean the corners of the field.” The rich need to break the roof of the house apart in order for the paralytic to be able to experience the healing power of Jesus. Yes, I want to be rich. The question is not, “Can I become rich?” but, “Why do I want to be rich?” The answer needs to be, “For the furtherance of the Kingdom of God,” whatever shape and form that might take. In conclusion, take care of what Jesus wants YOU to do. Your ministry is yours.

About The Author Filip Brunner is married to his wife, Dr. Kim Brunner and together they have six children. He is a writer, author, and artist.